Description

This is probably the best and certainly the most well-protected route at Silver Cascade. It seems like this is always the first route I do when I'm up there.

The route is located to the right of Chronic Bedwetter, following the line of "newer" bolts slightly to the right and then back slightly to the left. While the crux section is, like all routes at Silver Cascade, located in the first third of the route, the climbing remains sustained at the 5.5-5.6 level for longer than one would suspect.

Protection

I believe there are 7 bolts. Could be 5 or 6, or possibly even 8. Bring 8 QDs, plus a long sling and an extra locker for the top anchor, and you should be fine.

Eds. Note, you may want 9 QDs.

Per Stewart M. Green: The anchor for Reality Check is the tree at the top of the cliff. I took that hanger off that extra bolt this past July. Travis Nolan placed the anchor the year (1995) after I did the FA of the route. It is simply a convenience anchor and is not needed. I've been meaning to chop that extra bolt for awhile and patch the hole. Likewise this route has sprouted all kinds of extra unnecessary bolts, including the first 2. So climb the route to the top of the cliff and hike off south around the slab to get off.

I did the first ascent of this excellent route in 1994 with Ian and Brett Green. The first bolt was placed high to avoid having the hanger stolen and to make sure you're up to the commitment to climb the route! I too feel this is the best route on the slab.

Cool route and well bolted. I believe there are 8 bolts. A 60m rope reaches all the way to the dirt with about 5 ft. to spare. The rock is super-polished and my slab technique sucks, but the lower section worked me.

Did this route today and found that the right anchor was missing its hangar!! I ended up having to run the climb out to another bolt (~10ft) and then to the top of the crag to set up a TR & retrieve my gear. The route on the left was also missing 1 hangar or I could have traversed over :(

Matt, see my comment at the Silver Cascade main page. That anchor is not the anchor for the climb. I took the hanger off...again...and will return to chop that extra bolt. It ain't needed. From that bolt, climb up right to another bolt and climb easy rock to the cliff top and a tree belay. Then hike off south. Silver Cascade does not need convenience belays like this one which was put in by Travis Nolan in 1995, the year after I did the FA of the route.

Rich and I had a great time on Reality Check today. We each led and followed once, finding the route to be near the limit of our current abilities, especially when it comes to foot work. This is definitely a trust your feet route as there isn't much for your hands. I hung on a few QDs on my lead. On my follow I slid down onto the rope twice near bolt #3 but didn't hang on anything else. The route is very well protected with 9 bolts and I appreciated every one of them (I'm a beached whale :-). Two were 1/4' bolts that didn't look all that great. The top is a bit run out. I traversed left and up from the last bolt on fairly easy rock. By the time I got to a large anchor pine above the route (above the closed Gold Camp Road tunnel), we were right at 60m.

Can't say this was the most fun route I have ever done. It is slabby and kind of waxy and slippery. I would like to try it in the mid morning sun when the rock is warm and the sun has heated up my rubber, because it didn't seem all that fun this go around.